government intervention

• Public Health Act of 1848:

  • government official called Edwin Chadwick found research that showed people in cities had lower life expectancy that those in countryside - in 1842
  • he recommended better clean water supplies and regular removal of waste
  • government acted by passing 1848 Public Health Act
  • encourage cities to set up boards of health
  • to provide clean water
  • had little impact as measures were optional and expensive
• the Great Stink:

  • hot summer in London
  • led to smell in River Thames getting worse due to human waste
  • government acted by building network of sewers under streets of London
  • by 1866, most of London connected to new sewerage
  • sewers removed waste so reduced spread of cholera
• 1875 Public Health Act:

  • government made it compulsory to:
  • imporve sewers and remove waste
  • appoint medical officers to inspect public health facilities
• government had started to take responsibilites because:

  • Pasteur proved link between dirt and disease through Germ Theory
  • people more willing to pay taxes to fund better living conditions due to science proving cause of disease and illness
  • 1867 - working men given right to vote
  • political parties needed support, so fixing problems in cities was important to attract supporters
• • work of Edward Jenner, Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch proved to government that vaccination programmes could be successful
  • government more willing to consider vaccination programmes
  • targeted rabies and typhoid